Means for securing casters to furniture.



PATENT-ED oUT. 27; 1903.

0. F. WHEELER. MEANS FOR SECURING 'oAsTERs 1T0 FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27, 1903.

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- support illustrated in 2 UNITED STATES Patented October 2'7, 1903.

PATENT FFIcE.

MEANS FOR SECURING CASTERS TO FURNl TURE.

SPECIFIC ATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,770, dated October27, 1903.

I Application filed February 27,1903. Serial No. 145,370. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. WHEELER, of Minneapolis, county ofHennepin, State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Means for Securing Casters to Furniture, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to caster supports or fasteners; and the object ofthe invention is to provide improved means for securing a caster toarticles of furniture, such as dressers, commodes, desks, and the like.

A further object is to provide a combined caster-support and brace forthe corner of the dresser or other article.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detaileddescription.

The invention consists generally in various constructions andcombinations, all as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification; Figure1 is a plan view of my improved caster-support before the same is foldedto fit the corner of the dresser or other article. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of the device when folded or bent ready to be placedupon the article of furniture. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of thesupport. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a modified construction. Fig. 5is a section showing the support illustrated in Fig. 2 applied to thecorner of a piece of furniture and supporting the caster. Fig. 6 is aplan view of the caster-support shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 of Fig. 6. Fig.8 is a plan view of the support shown in Fig. 2 applied to the corner ofa piece of furniture. Fig. 9 is a section on the line y y of Fig. 8.Fig. 10 is a plan-view showing the form of Fig. 2 with a modified meansfor securing the caster therein. Fig. 11 is a section on the line a z ofFig. 10.

It has been customary heretofore to secure casters in the corners ofdressers, cominodes, and like articles by means of wooden blocks thatare secured by the corner and have sockets to receive the shank of thecaster. These blocks frequently become loosened and detached from thecorner, resulting in the loss of the caster and glue or other means toconsiderable annoyance and labor when it is desired to move the piece offurniture around the room. To obviate all this trouble and annoyance andto provide a substantial support for the castor and one that will alsostrengthen and brace the corner of the article of furniture, I provide asupport consisting, preferably, of a single piece of sheet metal havinga base or horizontal flange 2, provided with holes 3 to receive screwsor nails that secure the same to the lower edge of the dresser or otherarticle, and a vertical flange 4, having ends 5, that are bent to fitagainst the walls of the corner and be screwed thereto through theperforations corresponding to those provided in the flange 2. I haveshown in the drawings the support screwed to the walls of a corner 5,which may represent the bottom of a dresser or any other article havinga ninety-degree corner. A second horizon'tal flange 6 is provided on theflange 4,

in the plane of the ends 5 and have perforations, through which they arescrewed to the walls of the dresser or other article. The plate whenbent to fit the corner will be substantially as shown in Fig. 2, forminga metallic box or casing fitting any ninetydegree corner, and the flange4, extending across from one wall to the other, will serve as a brace tostrengthen the corner. The base-flange 2 and the upper horizontal flange6 are provided with holes 8, that are adapted to receive the shank 9 ofa caster 10. The flanges in which these holes are provided are, as shownin Fig. 5, at the opposite end of the shank and form a double bearingtherefor and prevent any twisting or lateral movement of the caster whenthe article of furniture is moved over the floor. In other words,instead of the strain being sustained at one point only on the shank itwill be distributed at each end thereof and any tendency of the casterto work loose in its hearings will be prevented.

To prevent the caster from dropping out of the box when the piece offurniture is raised, I prefer to provide a spring-clip 11, which I haveshown cut off the edge of one'of the ears bent to overhang thebase-flange and having upwardly-turned ears 7, that are' 7, though itmay be independent thereof, if

preferred, and arranged to bear on the upper end of the shank, as shownin Fig. 5, the friction between the spring-clip and shankv beingsufficient to hold the caster in place.

- In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown the form of support illustrated in Fig.4 applied toa ninety-degree corner. This support is substantially thesame as the one described except that the fiange6and the ears7areomitted, the shank 12 of the caster being shorter and headed above theWasher 13 after being inserted through the hole in the horizontalflange. In Figs. 8 and 9 I have shown the form of support illustrated inFig. 2; but instead of providing the spring device for engaging theshank of the caster I provide apin let, adapted to slip through a hole15 in the shank near its'upper end and lock it and the caster in placein the box. In Figs. 10 and 11 I have shown a spring device similar tothe one illustrated in Fig. 5, and I have provided the upper end of thecaster-shank with a shoulder 16, that is engaged by the spring-clip.

Ihave shown the box or caster-support made of sheet metal of suitableWeight; but at least one form may be made of casting, if preferred. Thedevice is applicable to any piece of furniture having a corner whereincasters are secured in the usual way and not only will form a securesupport for the caster, but will brace and strengthen the corner.

, I claim as my invention- 1. A caster-support, comprising a baseplateadapted to be secured to the corner of a dresser or like article at thebottom, and

having a hole to receive a caster-shank, a vertical bracing-flange onsaid plate on the inner side of saidhole and arranged to extenddiagonally across the corner from wall to wall and to be securedthereto.

2. A sheet -metal caster-support, comprising a fiat base-plate adaptedto be secured to the corner of a dresser or like article at the bottom,and having a hole to receive a caster-shank, a vertical bracing-flangeon the inner edge of said plate arranged to extend across the corner ofthe dresser from wall to wall and to be secured thereto, anoutwardlyturned horizontal flange provided at the top of said verticalflange and overhanging said base-plate and adapted to be secured to saidWalls and provided with a caster-shank hole in line with the hole insaid plate, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day ofFebruary, 1903.

CHARLES F. WHEELER.

In presence of RICHARD PAUL, O. G. HANSON.

